Kribman

hah! Might aas well be cooking my own drugs for $50 dollars rather than buying prescriptions at $150.

The two ton I have to secure lips and hook hangers seems to dry way too quickly to paint on, after all it is known as the original super glue, right? Also, I don't see how it can't pay for itself after a certain point. I mean the production cost of one my lures is only $5.00 for a musky bait or so and $2 or $3 for a bass sized lure. With the airbrush and compressor, paints, and wood, the cost is large. But the average musky crankbait can be up to $10 and they can easily go up to $20's. Thats a $5 to $15 savings on every lure. If you make 40 lures, The cost is only about 200 dollars. 40 musky baits at $15 is $600. savings: $400. That easily covers the cost of my cheap airbrush and compressor, both only costed about $120. I got a large lumberyard nearby that'll sell maple and red oak cut-offs $10 for 3 20''X15" pieces. I think, as long as one normally buys 40 lures a year, you would be saving some moolah!

I just looked up Michael's and there is one within 10 miles of my house! I guess I will go get some Etex after I use up what I have here (it was $20 and I'm trying to save money by making lures). Thanks a lot guys Kribman

I am wondering all this, because I have coated a few lures and I tried to see how hard they were, and I could make a dent in the finish with my nail. I was thinking this could be a number of problem... 1. My local Home Depot does not sell Etex or Devcon, only a knock of pour on epoxy finisher... 2. I am not putting on enough layers... 3. I do not have a lure turner to make sure there is very even distribution. Are these necessary? 4. Is the squeeze bottle 2ton or 5 min epoxies better than the pour on?

rlcam, those are great! I thinks I will get used to the lure carving before I begin with the big stuff. I was thinking a 40'' muskie or pike would be really cool...

does heating the coat help it cure harder?

What is the proportion of epoxy hard coat to alcohol or acetone for your hardbaits and how many layers do you apply? Should i place them under a heat lamp after I coat them? any other tricks or tips to get a clean and hard finish?

I met with my grandpa today and he unloaded all of his old whittling stuff because his wrist hurt him too much to carve. He has always impressed me with his abilities, he carved ducks, loons, christ statues, and people doing various actions and I was immediately hooked. The first thing I thought of was carving fish out of mahogany. Then I could paint them and they could almost be like taxidermied fish. Has anyone tried this before?

you had me

spoons down deep may be the best technique. you never know what you're gonna get!

I live in illinois, so i can quite meet up, but here is a show that can help you get out there with the right live bait techniques, if you komemade'uns don't do the trick... http://myoutdoortv.com/new/north-american-fisherman.html click the link and then go to the second video good luck

I'd say about 10000 to 1 I saw a small duck get pulled under on a small lake with pike in it. i was standing on a dock and couldn't see any fish, but the thing didn't come back up

Hi, everyone. I'm on my way and have about ten lures done, and I just realized, what if my sealing techniques aren't as good as they could be. After I dremel and sand to my desired shape, usually maple or red oak, I dip the lure in polyurethane wood stain/sealer, sand, repeat, and then use a spray on model sealer/lacquer/primer. Then I paint and after it is dry, I have one of those two bottle epoxy hard coat mix bottles. I just mix those and brush on one thick layer. Is this enough? nother layer? thanks a bunch Kribman

single action, makes everything a pain in the butt! thanks for the advice, I'll check for bends or splits in the needle and get back to you.

sweeeet

Heres a bluegie crank I just finished. I know that there was a little bit of splatter, and i was wondering if I should water down the paint, or if that means its too thin. comment please